The present application relates to high density storage facilities, and more particularly to high density storage facilities for storing intermodal containers, boats and other large items.
Despite advances in building materials, material handling vehicles, and techniques, there is still a need for storage facilities for large sized objects such as intermodal containers, boats, cars, furniture and the like. Such facilities should provide mechanisms for obtaining ready and efficient access to the stored objects, as well as optimal use of storage space.
For example, conventional boat storage facilities include a large building with racks aligned along the walls and a large unoccupied floor space. This results in a large amount of unused space, as depicted in FIG. 1 for building B with corners C1, C2, C3 and C4. Two access entryways A1 and A2 are defined at an end of building B to enable a fork-lift truck to place and withdraw large items such as boats from the three stationary, fixed storage racks R1, R2 and R3.
A more efficient system is depicted in FIG. 2 based on U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,787 by the present inventor for facility F having building corners C1-C4 and a stationary rack S1 extending along length L of facility F. Multiple access doors A1, A2, A3 and A4 are provided along the length L. One or more of four movable elongated rectangular racks R1, R2, R3 and R4 can be rolled along length L to expose a selected rack row to a fork-lift truck entering through one of access doors A1-A4. However, many square feet of space must still be left open to provide turning and maneuvering room for the fork-lift truck, and multiple access doors must be provided along the side of an elongated building.
Container terminals for storing and retrieving intermodal containers exhibit similar problems. Conventional facilities consume large areas of valuable seaport acreage. Because conventional facilities may use numerous aisles and provide wide spaces between intermodal containers, and because such containers are generally randomly placed and widely spaced, many terminal operators have difficulty in controlling the storage, retrieval and delivery of the containers. This often results in time consuming and costly repositioning and searching operations for displaced containers.
Therefore, a need exists for a high density storage facility which provides ready and efficient access to the space within the facility where items may be stored.